Death at county jail is questioned

Prisoner's family says authorities dismissed woman's health concerns; video shows her being dragged down a hall

By SHANNON McFARLAND

UPDATE: A preliminary autopsy indicates a 47-year-old woman who died last week in the county jail had suffered a brain hemorrhage, the Sheriff's Office says.

What caused Karen Ibarra's brain hemorrhage has yet to be determined by the medical examiner. She was moved to the jail's medical wing four days before her death because she had declined meals and medications.

Though hemorrhages can be caused by severe head injuries, the autopsy showed no injuries to Ibarra, say sheriff's officials. "There is no indication that it's anything other than a natural death," said Capt. Jeff Bell, who is heading up the sheriff's investigation.

“It looks like the hemorrhage is a recent one, not one that can be in the brain for a long time. The underlying cause could be there over time and causing symptoms,” said Medical Examiner Russell Vega said Friday. But the underlying cause of Ibarra's brain hemorrhage is uncertain until toxicology and other examinations are completed, which can take several weeks.

“It is possible that after everything is said and done, the picture may end up looking a little different than we anticipate,” Vega said.

The most common symptoms of a brain hemorrhage or stroke are weakness or numbness, often on one side of the body or face, slurred speech, impaired vision, trouble balancing and a severe headache.

Ibarra's family says she complained for days about health problems, including an inability to walk, but those concerns were dismissed by corrections officers at the jail who thought she was faking.

Ibarra's family attorney, Scott Miller, said he will seek an independent medical opinion as to whether poor medical care contributed to her death.

Miller has notified the Sheriff's Office the family intends to sue.

Ibarra turned herself in on Aug. 7 to face a charge for a probation violation, having dropped out of a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program.

Video obtained from the county jail shows that two days later, deputies dragged her by the arms down a hallway after she complained she could not walk. The deputies had watched her walk into a holding cell six hours earlier, and did not believe her.

"It seemed she wasn't able to walk every time she was asked to do something she didn't want to do," said Maj. Jim Lilly, the jail commander.

Sheriff's officials say the deputies' actions were reasonable. Records show medical staff had examined her after she said she could not walk and found no indication of a physical ailment.

"At this point, they think she's just being obstinate, as opposed to needing some kind of medical care," Lilly said, referring to the video.

The day before being dragged through the hallway, Ibarra had told a deputy she could not walk and refused the deputy's order to move to a different cell.

"I don't want to go, you're just being nasty," Ibarra said, according to an incident report. Nursing staff examined Ibarra's legs for a pulse and feeling.

Ibarra then agreed to move and staff recorded the incident as a disciplinary violation for refusing orders and faking an illness.

Ibarra was transferred to the medical unit on Aug. 18. On Aug. 22, after four days of refusing food and medication, she was found unresponsive in her cell with foam coming from her mouth. She was pronounced dead that morning.

Sheriff's officials say the staff was trying to help Ibarra. Attorney Miller says they were not taking her complaints seriously enough.

Miller questioned why she was not taken to the hospital for treatment, if she had not eaten or taken medication for days.

Bell said nurses and doctors provided by Armor Correctional Health Services decide when an inmate needs to go to the hospital.

An Armor spokeswoman reached late Thursday said she did not have any information about the case.